For more German and Austrian-inspired recipes, you should try my German Apple Cake (Apfelkuchen), Hazelnut Lingonberry Linzer Cookies, or my German Apple Pancakes! The idea of making real, authentic apple strudel from scratch might deter some from attempting it, but really, it’s simpler than you might think. This recipe will walk you through the process with all my tips and tricks to make it easy and give you great results the very first time!
Why This Recipe Works
Since there is no yeast, the dough won’t rise during the resting time, but the acid from the vinegar will relax the gluten strands which will become more elastic and make the dough easier to stretch! Some people cheat the system and there are recipes for apple strudel that use sheets of phyllo dough rather than making strudel dough. But we’re not scared of trying to make real German apple strudel from scratch, are we? No. The simple, sweet filling is made with fresh apples, cinnamon, sugar, and raisins for an authentic taste based on the many slices of apple strudel I ate while in Germany!
I took German all through high school and college. My dad lived in Austria for two years and I thought that if I learned the language too then he and I would be the only ones able to speak it and no one else would understand. I thought that would be the best thing ever. Except it turned out that my father had forgotten most of his German. And now, sadly, so have I! I still love and adore all things that remind me of Germany and its language, culture, people, and of course, food. There is just something about Germany that feels so Christmas-y. One of our family Christmas traditions is to have a Weihnachten dinner at our favorite German restaurants. One of my bucket list items is to visit the Striezelmarkt (the famous Christmas market dating back to the 1400’s) in Dresden one of these years. This is a delightful Fall dessert to serve with all the fresh apples that come into season, but it is also so perfectly Christmas-y since the song “My Favorite Things” from “Sound of Music” seems to have become a Christmas song and it includes the line about “crisp apple strudel”. Which I sort of think is a misnomer – a real strudel, from what I have experienced, doesn’t seem to be so much “crisp” as possibly “flaky” with delicate layers of strudel pastry created by rolling the thin strudel dough with a thin layer of butter around and around the strudel as the whole thing gets rolled up.
Ingredient Notes
Apples: My favorite apples for making strudel are Granny Smith (because they are tart and hold their shape), Golden Delicious (because they are sweet with a cider taste), and Honey Crisp or Envy (because they fall somewhere between the two). I recommend at least 2 types of apples, rather than just one kind. Raisins: I specify golden raisins in this recipe because I really prefer them in most baking and feel like they have a subtler raisin flavor than the dark raisins. Just plump them in some hot water for 10 minutes before adding them to your strudel so they are nice and soft. Lemon juice or vinegar: A small amount of either acid helps the dough relax and gives it some of its elasticity so it’s easier to stretch out really thin without tearing as much.
How to Make Apple Strudel
When making a traditional apple strudel recipe from scratch, the only potentially intimidating element is the strudel dough. Rather than rolling out the dough, which is more familiar to most Americans, homemade apple strudel dough gets stretched thinner and thinner, until it is so thin that you could read newspaper print through it. Like, it’s actually a thing to stick a piece of newspaper under the dough and see if you can read what’s on it. I used a patterned tablecloth to achieve the same result when making this apfelstrudel recipe. It’s easier than it sounds to stretch your strudel dough as thin as you need it. The trick is to use an acid like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in the strudel dough, knead the dough well to develop the gluten, and then let it rest so that it can fully relax before you attempt stretching it. Pro Tip: One of the ways I have had the most success is to lift and stretch the dough by sliding my hands underneath (be sure to remove rings in advance!) with palms down and gently pulling the dough out from the center, letting it slide off my knuckles as it stretches. Pro Tip: If you opted to make one large strudel rather than two smaller ones and your strudel doesn’t fit on your pan, you can curve it into a “C” or “U” shape and no one will be the wiser when you slice it before serving. Some people only make one giant apple strudel which they intentionally curve to fit on the pan. I just divided the dough in half to make two separate strudels because I find it easier to work with.
Pro Tips
Don’t rush stretching the dough. If you try stretching it and it keeps bouncing back, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 5 minutes before trying again. Sometimes the gluten just needs to relax for a few minutes. Measure your flour carefully using the spoon and level method. If you overmeasure, there might not be enough liquid and you might struggle with your dough. Slice the apples thinly and uniformly. This helps them bake evenly and avoid tears in the dough as the strudel gets rolled up. Based on my experiences living Germany for one summer (I know, it’s not much to go on) and traveling through southern Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, I definitely want my apple strudel to have raisins but no nuts. I tried making it with nuts recently, but it just didn’t taste the same as the apfelstrudel I would get during my travels. Oh, and while perhaps not traditional, I love a big scoop of vanilla ice cream to go along with my apple strudel!
Viel Glück und guten appetit! (Good luck & bon appetit!)
More Apple Dessert Recipes
Glazed Apple Fritter Yeast Bread Homemade Caramel Apples Salted Caramel Apple Pie Best Homemade Apple Pie Recipe Apple Pie Macarons
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This post was originally published in September, 2017. The photos and content were updated in October, 2021.
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Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see. My helpers were front and center for this one the first time I photographed it back in 2017. They always come running whenever I am making something with apples because they love to eat the peels. Notice 3-year old Rose’s arms protectively encircling her horde of peels and her Snow White dress up dress that she wore constantly and 5 year old Clara’s missing front two teeth? Those were the days.
